• Over 6.7 million people out of which 40 per cent are children, have been displaced across conflict-affected provinces in DRC.
• UN warns children are facing summary executions, sexual violence and abduction and recruitment by the warring factions.
• 45 children, who were cared for in a day transit centre in Goma to have been killed, UN reports.

An increasing number of children in the war ton Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing summary executions, sexual violence amid increasing abduction and recruitment by the factions involved in the escalating conflict.

In an update Thursday by the UN Child Rights Committee, children in violence saddled zones of North and South Kivu to the East of the vast country are coming face to face with grave catastrophe.

The UN agency warned that increasingly, armed groups are targeting displaced children and those left helpless in the streets that have been run over by militias.…

• Sudan is accusing Kenyan government of violating the principles of good neighbourliness by hosting US-sanctioned Rapid Support Forces (RSF) meeting.
• Nairobi now stands accused of endorsing continued perpetration of genocide, massacre civilians on an ethnic basis, attack on IDP camps, and acts of rape by RSF.
• Khartoum is also accusing authorities in Kenya of encouraging the division of African countries.

The simmering tensions between Kenya and Sudan have taken a dramatic twist after Nairobi allowed a key event for the political group aligned with sanctioned Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to proceed on Tuesday. US-sanctioned RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army for the control of the country for over a year now.

On Tuesday, authorities in Nairobi gave the greenlight for a key meeting by RSF leadership to proceed at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. This event was a precursor towards the establishment of a new political group drawing together …

• Looters have wiped out with an estimated 7,000 tonnes of critical humanitarian food supplies in Bukavu City.
• Bukavu, the second largest city in DRC fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels at the weekend just weeks after the militia took over Goma in the escalating conflict that worsened in January.
• According to aid organizations, the war in eastern DRC has caused a shortage of humanitarian routes and is now threatening the smooth delivery of essential services in the mineral-rich region.

Food aid in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took a devastating hit over the weekend, with 7,000 tonnes lost to looting, further deepening the crisis as M23 rebels escalate their attacks. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned the looting of thousands of tonnes of relief supplies in the city of Bukavu in the eastern DRC after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels swept in at the weekend, reportedly meeting …

• On Saturday, Djibouti’s Mahamoud Youssouf emerged victorious in AUC chairmanship elections, securing 33 votes in the seventh round.
• However, Kenya’s Ruto claims that the continent lost a valuable opportunity by not electing Raila Odinga.
• For Djibouti, Africa deserved better than Raila.

The rivalry between Kenya and Djibouti that was marked by campaigns leading up to the election of the African Union Commission Chairman (AUC) post appears far from over. In the latest twist, authorities in Djibouti have hit back at President William Ruto who on Sunday expressed disappointment over the failure of leaders of Africa to vote Kenya’s candidate Raila Odinga.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Amb . Moussa Mohamed Omar of Djibouti stated, “In response to President Ruto on Citizen TV Kenya: claiming Africa “lost an opportunity” is dishonest. 33 heads of state chose Mahmoud, the right choice for Africa’s challenges, refusing to let the AU …

• Afrobarometer survey shows that most countries have lost the gains they had recorded in poverty reduction between 2000 and 2015.
• An estimated 81% of the people report going without a cash income while 66% lack medicine or medical care.
• Data from 39 African countries surveyed in 2021/2023 suggests that increased corruption may play a role in resurgent lived poverty.

A growing number of Africans are trapped in the crushing grip of poverty, with the latest Afribarometer survey revealing a sharp rise in populations struggling to afford food and other basic necessities. The survey indicates that severe deprivation has reached its highest average level in 25 years.

Afrobarometer survey shows that most countries have lost the gains they had recorded in poverty reduction in the first decade and a half of the 21st century. The Afrobarometer is a Pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and …

• On 16 November last year, Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale were abducted from Nairobi.
• They resurfaced on 20 November when they were arraigned in General Court Martial in Kampala, Uganda and charged with offences relating to security and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
• Kizza Besigye, 68, is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre where he is reported to be in ill health.

Amnsety International has thrown its weight behind increasing calls for authorities in Uganda to release opposition chief Kizza Besigye who is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre.

In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International noted that the former presidential candidate who ran against President Yoweri Museveni is grappling with deteriorating health.

Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said: “Ugandan authorities must immediately respect the Supreme Court order, uphold the rule of law …